AHL San Diego Gulls

San Diego Gulls Reassign Eddie Matsushima, Kyle Crnkovic to Tulsa

Published on March 18, 2024 under American Hockey League (AHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The San Diego Gulls today announced the American Hockey League (AHL) club has reassigned forwards Eddie Matsushima and Kyle Crnkovic to the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL.

Matsushima, 30 (1/4/94), skated in two games for the Gulls, making his AHL debut March 6 vs. Coachella Valley. He has posted 24-24=48 points with 36 penalty minutes (PIM) and an ECHL career-best +18 rating in 40 games with Tulsa this season. His 24 assists are a new ECHL career high. Matsushima has earned 70-72=142 points with 133 PIM in 191 career ECHL games with the Tulsa Oilers, Orlando Solar Bears, Maine Mariners and Worcester Railers. In 2022-23, he set career-highs in points (28-19=47), goals, games played (65) and PIM (44), led all Oilers in goals and points and was named a 2022-23 ECHL All-Star. Matsushima has also skated in six career Kelly Cup Playoff games, tallying 3-1=4 points with four PIM and a +5 rating.

The 5-11, 185-pound forward appeared in 67 career Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) games with the Pensacola Ice Flyers, collecting 24-39=63 points with 53 PIM and a +22 rating from 2019-21. In 2020-21, Matsushima posted a career-best 10-19) points with 27 PIM and a +7 rating in 34 regular-season games. He chipped in 3-2=5 points in four postseason contests, helping the Ice Flyers clinch the organization's fourth President's Cup Championship. He also earned SPHL Second All-Star Team honors.

The Verona, Wis. native spent three seasons with the NCAA Division III's University of Wisconsin - River Falls, scoring 38-46=79 points with 127 PIM in 109 games from 2015-19. In his junior season, Matsushima earned NCAA III (WIAC) All-Conference Team honors after posting 14-14( points in 26 games. During the 2018-19 campaign, he earned NCAA III (AHCA) Second Team All-American (West) honors and finished as a NCAA III (WIAC) All-Conference Team member and NCAA III (WIAC) Scholar-Athlete.

Crnkovic, 22 (2/10/02), has appeared in six games with San Diego in 2023-24. He tallied 15-30=45 points with a +2 rating and 18 PIM in 49 games for Tulsa this season, ranking second among Oilers skaters in points and leading in assists.

The Calgary, AB native recorded 111-178(9 points with 90 PIM and a +68 rating in 277 career Western Hockey League (WHL) games with the Saskatoon Blades and Seattle Thunderbirds. He posted 30-38=68 points with 27 PIM and a +48 rating in 67 games with Seattle in 2022-23, ranking second on the team in goals and fourth in points. He added 3-11=14 points with 10 PIM and a +9 rating in 19 postseason contests, helping the Thunderbirds win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as the WHL's champion. Crnkovic led the club in Memorial Cup scoring, finishing the tournament with 5-3=8 points in five games and earning CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team honors. He also skated in 34 career WHL postseason contests, collecting 10-15=25 points with 16 PIM and a +10 rating.

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